Elementary Education

PREFACE

Being the foundation stone of human development, elementary education plays a very significant role in a democratic system. Our constitutional framers realized the value of elementary education as long back as the 1950s and made a provision for free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 14. In fact, education up to this stage is regarded as general and basic education.

We in India have a responsibility to achieve this task, not only as the largest democratic country but also since our country accounts for 30% of the world’s illiterate population. The linkage between educational levels, literacy and development indices is well known. Achieving the UEE calls for dedicated efforts on the part of all concerned.

The present book containing elementary education includes most of the basic problems and challenges relating to the subject. The treatise has been particularly prepared in the interest of student teachers, teachers, teacher educators, researchers and educational planners and administrators who are the destiny makers of India.

The present book was commissioned by M/s. Neelkamal Publications Pvt. Ltd., is timely and of crucial significance for making the desired policy and planning intervention in the universalisation of elementary education in the country with particular reference to Andhra Pradesh.

In writing this book, I found a number of limitations, particularly in collecting the latest data: There was little time to update the data from different sources. The analysis in the following